Finally, a Place for Those NSFP (Not Suitable for Playgroup) Confessions

'Fess up at the Parenting Confessionals Tumblr.

Between social networks like Facebook and Instagram, online forums for like-minded moms, and playgroups, Mommy & Me, and nursery school, we've got plenty of available outlets for crowing about our kids' cutest clothes, messiest meals, and funniest quips. And while the more emboldened among us may cop publicly to some of our more mild parenting fails, sometimes you just need a good old anonymous confessional to get the real dirt out.

That's exactly why Julia Fierro created Parenting Confessional, a new Tumblr for all of your anonymous admissions. We spoke with Julia about finally taking action on what we're all thinking—and how surprisingly cathartic it's been.

How did the idea for the Tumblr come about?

"I often worry about being a 'good enough' mom, especially when trying to balance family life with a demanding work life. I'm sure if you asked my children, they'd say, 'Mommy's doing a great job!' but the love you feel for your children inspires to be your best, and sometimes, your expectations for yourself can be unrealistic. When I was at home all day with an infant and a toddler, I often wished I could share these kinds of thoughts with the other mothers in my playgroup. We did share a lot, which was a great comfort, but there were some confessions I just couldn't voice, too worried they'd confirm my own fears."

What was the impetus to actually get it started?

"I was writing my first novel, Cutting Teeth, which is my own parenting confessional. I wrote about all the joy and fear and guilt I feel in my own motherhood experience. I was able to keep working on the book because my 'confession' was being filtered through the many mother characters in the book (and even the stay-at-home-dad), under the safe guise of fiction. The Parenting Confessional is a place where parents can be honest without fear, and confess what they wouldn't admit to even their closest friends. An anonymous site allows honesty, and in that honesty there is a momentary release of pent-up emotion."

What's been the best part of running it so far?

"Many of the confessions people have submitted are hilarious, and humor is an essential coping skill in early parenting. What else can you do but laugh when a child coats the cat in finger paint or eats an ornament off the Christmas tree or projectile vomits on his or her big brother? But many of the submissions are also authentically emotional. These confessions capture the complexity and intensity of parenting—the day-to-day experience that can shift from joy to exhaustion, from unimaginable love to frustration, in a matter of hours."

What would you say to someone who might take offense to the site?

"I'd be suspicious, wondering if that person was being honest with him or herself. I do believe we all have what might be labeled as "bad" thoughts and feelings, but that they are mostly a product of our fears that we aren't 'good' enough parents to our children. These hints from our consciousness aren't a sign of our inadequacy, but only the vulnerabilities that make us human. It might be difficult to look at other parents' confessions because they could mirror our own thoughts. It is even harder to accept them as significant, because that is also nudging us to accept our own flaws. But this practice of empathy is important, especially among moms, who can be very judgmental of each other, and of themselves."

Some of our favorite confessions

"Sometimes, I wonder what life would be like if we'd just adopted a dog."

"I pee every time I have a bad cough because I didn't do my damn Kegel exercises!"

Julia Fierro's novel, Cutting Teeth, is one of the most anticipated debut novels of 2014 and will be released by St. Martin's Press on May 13th. In 2002, she founded The Sackett Street Writers' Workshop, and what started as eight writers meeting in her Brooklyn kitchen has grown into a creative home for over 2500 writers. You can find her online at juliafierro.com.

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